Does anyone know what kind of snapping turtle this is. im thinking of getting a baby snapping turtle. but i need to know what kind it is. i heard that if you dont know what kind of snapping turtle you have and you pick it up the wrong way your fingers could be gone.

and what kind of tank set up would i need. and what type of basking light a 50watt 100watt? and what type of food diet i should be feeding it weekly. i am going to lookup tips and find a care sheet but i think it would be best if i got some tips from a forum to!

P.S. i dont have a snapper yet i am preparing my self with the knowledge i need before i buy one. my birthday is coming up soon.

Does anyone know what kind of snapping turtle this is. im thinking of getting a baby snapping turtle. but i need to know what kind it is. i heard that if you dont know what kind of snapping turtle you have and you pick it up the wrong way your fingers could be gone.

and what kind of tank set up would i need. and what type of basking light a 50watt 100watt? and what type of food diet i should be feeding it weekly. i am going to lookup tips and find a care sheet but i think it would be best if i got some tips from a forum to!

P.S. i dont have a snapper yet i am preparing my self with the knowledge i need before i buy one. my birthday is coming up soon.

I cant tell if its a common snapper or an aligator snapper but what you need to know is whatever kind it will get big, and it can" bite off" your fingers . Snappers can move their head very fast and backwards too. is it worth having a turtle that can really hurt you ? I found when I had a snapper my other red ear turtles were afraid of it (even though it was small)

I cant tell if its a common snapper or an aligator snapper but what you need to know is whatever kind it will get big, and it can" bite off" your fingers . Snappers can move their head very fast and backwards too. is it worth having a turtle that can really hurt you ? I found when I had a snapper my other red ear turtles were afraid of it (even though it was small)

That would be a baby alligator snapping turtle. I have one myself. My mother was outside and a bird dropped him out of the sky(that was in October) he was about the size of a quarter in October and has now grown to be the size of a small cereal bowl. They grow very fast and eat quite a bit. I feed mine smaller goldfish (feeder fish). He eats about 70 fish a week. Thankfully the feeder fish are not expensive. I started feeding him (when I first got him) can tuna, cooked chicken and liver. Be aware if you keep the turtle in a 10 gal tank you will have to upgrade to a 30+ gallons within 3 months because they grow fast. Also know that they are water turtles only they do not come out of the water to sun. Keep a heater in the water for them also. Also when fixing your tank only put water enough to cover him (about twice the height he is sitting flat). They are nice but watch your fingers.

That would be a baby alligator snapping turtle. I have one myself. My mother was outside and a bird dropped him out of the sky(that was in October) he was about the size of a quarter in October and has now grown to be the size of a small cereal bowl. They grow very fast and eat quite a bit. I feed mine smaller goldfish (feeder fish). He eats about 70 fish a week. Thankfully the feeder fish are not expensive. I started feeding him (when I first got him) can tuna, cooked chicken and liver. Be aware if you keep the turtle in a 10 gal tank you will have to upgrade to a 30+ gallons within 3 months because they grow fast. Also know that they are water turtles only they do not come out of the water to sun. Keep a heater in the water for them also. Also when fixing your tank only put water enough to cover him (about twice the height he is sitting flat). They are nice but watch your fingers.

That is incorrect, it is a common snapping turtle.

Alligator snapping turtles have three pronounced keels and a triangular head, with a short neck.

Also, do not feed your turtles goldfish, especially not as their main source of food. An occasional treat is fine, but living on goldfish would be like you living on gummybears. Not healthy. Snapping turtles DO need to bask, and they need plenty of water. Twice the debth of him is not accurate water debth, if you were able to give them 8 feet of water they'd be just fine.

Did you decide to get one? I have a common snapper that is about 9 inches across. I've handled and examined mine a lot so he is quite docile; but you never can really let your guard down when handling them. They do get very big very fast, especially if you overfeed them (like I did mine when I didn't know what I was doing). Also, they really pollute their water quickly; you'll need a separate feeding container and the strongest filter you can afford. As they get bigger, they get pretty expensive to feed so you'll need to take that into consideration. All these negatives; the positives are that they have a TON of personality and can be really loveable when they are in the water. Mine likes to sleep on my lap wrapped in a towel while I'm draining his tank.